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Simple bee hotel that works

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  • #1

    Simple bee hotel that works

    Thought I’d share this one. I have seven bee hotels (two in the garden and five on the lotty), which are made from 3 inch square blocks of wood and are drilled with 8 and 10mm holes at a slight upward angle.
    Solitary-type bees then lay their eggs and leave a parcel of pollen in the holes before sealing up with mud. The young should emerge next spring. The bees are generally good natured and as far as I know are virtually stingless. By this time of year activity around the hotels has decreased and most of the holes are occupied. I’ve noticed the vacant holes predominantly have ragged edges so I’ll carefully clean them up during winter.
    I’ve watched solitary bees laying eggs in various locations including screw holes in fencing so I don’t suppose exact dimensions are of paramount importance.
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    Location ... Nottingham
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Its fascinating watching the bees isn't it.
    Location....East Midlands.

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    • #3
      That's a great idea Mr Bones, I've made a variety of 'hotels' over time, but this looks so simple and effective.

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      • #4
        I have an accumulation of marine ply sheets, I'm going to sndwich them together and drill holes 8" deep where the plys meet so after they have been used I can open up the sandwich and clean them out for the next intake.

        Cheers, Tony.
        Semper in Excrementem Altitvdo Solvs Varivs.

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        • #5
          I had a big holly tree cut down a few months ago. Its 3 foot tall and i have drilled about 60 holes into the stump with the hope that some bees will make it home. I have also sowed a 10 x 2 foot strip of wildflower seeds under and beside it as a bribe.
          Its Grand to be Daft...

          https://www.youtube.com/user/beauchief1?feature=mhee

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          • #6
            I routinely find evidence of nesting bees around one of the windows in my shed; of four opening windows, always the same window and always the same side - in the slight gap between the closed window and the frame itself. Who knows what attracts them to that particular place, it's a squeeze to say the least. For the most part I leave them be, and just avoid opening that window. But now and then I have to scrape the frame clean for re-painting etc, and it always resembles a wafer thin slice of a fully formed bees nest; tunnels criss-crossing the length of the window frame, eggs and pupae here and there. Fascinating stuff!

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            • #7
              I had no idea there was such a thing as solitary bees.
              photo album of my garden in my profile http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...my+garden.html

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Bill HH View Post
                I had no idea there was such a thing as solitary bees.
                You should have been at the beekeeping talk in our clubhouse a week or so back, Bill - there are 250 species of bee in the UK, and one one variety of honeybee (that is, the ones we think of in colonies in hives).

                Also, the best food source for bees was - until the rise in agricultural rape fields - lime trees. They are in flower at the mo, and I stopped on the walk back from the dentist the other day at a lime tree in the street and looked up the 10' or so into the tree, and sure enough, it was full of the little blighters.

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                • #9
                  I have a bee hotel which my mrs purchased from Morrison's for £3.
                  It has now started to get a number of leaf cutter bee's making their larvae nests in it.

                  Here are some pics.







                  Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum

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                  • #10
                    Neighbour has carpenter bees attacking her wooden facia what to do

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                    • #11
                      Making homes or taking chunks from it for nesting?

                      I would hang some untreated softwood around various places to lure them away from the house.


                      Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum

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